A Stone From the Riverbank
by Sapphire at Dawn
Summary: On May the second, 1998, Harry Potter decides to walk calmly into the face of death, bringing with him his wand, an exraordinary stone, and four people the world thought would never walk through the forests of Hogwarts again. COMPLETE!
1. The Last Moment of Normality

'_He made less noise than the dead leaves slithering along the pavement as he drew level with the dark hedge and stared over it... They hadn't even drawn the curtains...'  
- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows._

'James, it's nearly time for Harry to go to bed!' James Potter heard his wife, Lily call from the kitchen.

James sighed as he shifted himself from the sofa, where he had been watching his one year old son, to the floor where the toddler sat on the rug in front of the fireplace, carefully shredding the threads.

'Got time for a few more games before bed, eh?' James grinned as Harry abandoned his destruction of the carpet, and was scooting off away from him to the corner of the room, where his toy broomstick lay.

'Oh no, not that one!' James laughed. 'Not now, anyway, your mother will have a fit.'

He scooped Harry up and swung him into the air, dangling him high above his head, making faces as he did so. The small boy laughed at his father, and reached out his hands to try and grab him, gurgling as he did so.

'James, try not to get him too excited!' Lily's exasperated voice sounded from the back of the house again.

'I'm just trying to wear him out a bit.' James called back cheekily. 'Don't want him crying again all night, like yesterday.'

Lily's head suddenly appeared around the doorframe. She too was smiling mischievously.

'Neither do we want him jumping around in his cot and squealing all night, like he did after you and Padfoot wound him up the other day!'

James grinned sheepishly at her by means of an apology.

'Ten more minutes,' she said, disappearing again.

James turned back to Harry, whom he had lowered to his hip.

'Alright then, what can we do in that time?' he asked the toddler, jiggling him around.

'Make a lot of mess, probably!' Lily called from down the hall.

James grinned.

'Would I do that?'

Lily's head popped round the door again.

'I wouldn't put it past you, Potter,' she said with playful grin, before ducking back again.

James laughed.

'Mummy thinks we're going to make a lot of mess,' he cooed at Harry. 'Let's prove her wrong, shall we?'

He swung Harry up in the air again, and Harry squeaked and gurgled in delight at the ride.

'Like that, do you?' James smiled. 'Again?'

Harry laughed as his father swung him in the air again and again. Apparently, however, this game was not exciting enough for the young boy, and after a while, he demanded to be let down, where he shuffled back to the rug and began picking at the fabric again.

'Don't go ruining that too much.' James warned as he sat wearily down on the sofa, picking up his wand. 'Mummy will never forgive me.'

He sat for a while, twiddling the wand between his fingers and absent mindedly watching his son in the middle of the room. He began beating out a rhythm with the wand on his knees, and as he did so, a puff of purple smoke erupted from the end.

Harry looked up for the source of this new and mysterious thing as the smoke drifted over to him.

James smiled, and another puff of smoke emitted from his wand.

Harry laughed, and pulled himself over to James, who sent more clouds of brightly coloured smoke at the toddler. He watched with amusement as Harry attempted to grab and clutch at the smoke with his small fists, dispersing them into colourless air.

'Time for bed, Harry!' Lily said, coming back into the room.

With a sigh, James bent down and picked his son up and handed him to Lily.

'Aww, he was having fun there, weren't you?' James laughed as Harry was deposited in his mother's arms.

'Well, it's a game he can continue tomorrow.' Lily said, tapping Harry on the nose. 'I'll be back down soon, I'll just get him settled,' she added to James.

James stretched and yawned. Entertaining Harry was hard work, he thought as he cast his wand aside.

Suddenly, there was a great bang, and the front door burst open; Lily was barely at the living room door.

'Lily!' he shouted. 'It's him!'

Her face turned to a look of pure horror.

'Take Harry and go!' he shouted at her, making for the door. 'I'll hold him off...'


	2. Beneath the Rubble

**_Ok, so those of you who have this on story alert may have noticed that the name of this has changed (thanks to those who have, and sorry for the confusion) but basically, its taken a bit of a new twist since I wrote the first chapter, I hope you like it._**

* * *

'_I set out for your parent's house straight away, and when I saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies... I knew what I had done...'  
- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban._

James groaned heavily; he ached all over. He lay there for a moment, twitching each of his limbs in turn just to see if he still had control over them all. He did. At the back of his mind, he dimly wondered what had happened. Why was he on the floor?

He took a deep breath in, preparing to lift himself off the ground where he lay, face pressed into the carpet. The smell was revolting, a disgusting musty and mouldy smell of disuse. That was strange, he thought to himself, the house didn't usually smell like that.

Painfully, he heaved himself onto all fours and opened his eyes. Everything was blurry; he must have lost his glasses. Even without them, he could tell that it was dark. He briefly wondered why that was, the lights had been on, and he specifically remembered not closing the curtains; he liked to look out at the night sky. It almost felt like he was back out there, rather than being cooped up inside the house. It felt like he had been unconscious for a long time, so surely daylight should be streaming through the windows next to the front door.

As he groped around for his glasses, James felt that the rough carpet was strewn with something that had a texture James couldn't quite place. What had _happened_? Everything seemed so foggy, it was like grasping at smoke...

Of course, that was it! He had been playing with Harry, when Lily had come into the room to take him off to bed, and then –

James's stomach plummeted. _He_ had arrived. He and Lily had been betrayed. Peter. His thoughts turned to anger as he remembered his so-called friend. But he couldn't worry about that now. He shoved those thought aside; he had more pressing things to worry about. Where was Lily? And Harry? What had happened to them? What _was_ all this stuff? James threw another strange stringy, plant-like thing aside and as he did so, his hand brushed against something cold and metallic. His glasses.

Hastily, he shoved them on, but the sight he was greeted by was gruesome. Something had happened to the house. Something odd, James couldn't work it out. There was an immensely thick coating of dust over everything, and the stringy things James had been rooting around in were in fact trails of ivy. The reason for the darkness was explained, the windows were filthy with dirt, and some form of thick plant life, probably ivy, was covering them from the outside. He saw with a shock that instead of a front door, there was a great gaping hole surrounded by crumbling bricks. Covering it was a thick curtain of ivy, it was like looking from behind a dark green waterfall.

Confused, James looked around him. The house looked like it had been deserted for years; the wallpaper had peeled away from the walls in many places to reveal dark decaying patches of grey damp. The wicker chair that he and Lily had been given as a wedding present from her parents was mouldering away in the corner, and through the door to the sitting room, James could see the rotten remains of Harry's toy broomstick.

As he stared round, he could see no sign of either Lily or Harry, and a great wave of nausea hit him.

Too sick with worry for Lily and Harry to fret about the state or even the _cause _for the state of his house, he hauled himself to his feet. He winced with pain; his limbs felt as stiff as if he had been sleeping for a long time, and there was a deep throbbing ache in his chest. He shrugged this off and slowly climbed rickety stairs, being careful of the rotting wood that creaked ominously under his feet. Already, several places in the banister had rotted away completely leaving breaks in what should have been a straight and ordinary piece of wood. Something in the back of his mind told him that this was odd, strange, unnatural, but he pushed it out of his mind. He was more concerned about the fate of his wife and child. He kept climbing the stairs, sure that this was where Lily would have gone with Harry. He had told her to run, and from where they had been standing, this was the only way to run. The back door had been locked by Dumbledore for their protection long before the Fidelius Charm had been preformed. There would have been no means of escape that way; the stairs would have been her only way.

He hoped with all of his being that she and Harry were alright, that they were unhurt. That they weren't - . He couldn't bring himself to even think the word.

'Lily?' he called along the dark landing. The plant life covered these windows too, though he barely wondered at it as he saw that the door to Harry's room, the door at the top of the stairs, stood ajar. He cautiously tried to push the rotting wooden door that led to the bedroom open, but it jammed on something on the other side. He gave it a harder push, and was astonished to hear the sound of bricks scraping against each other. With one final shove, he forced the door open. He gasped in horror and disbelief at the sight that greeted him.

The two outside walls had been completely blown away, and the roof had collapsed in a heap of rubble; bright daylight illuminated the gruesome scene. The floor was invisible due to the bricks and tiles from the roof, mixed with tangles of ivy that had spilled inside. Only Harry's broken cot stood out from among the mess, like the ghostly form of a destroyed castle.

James let out a strangled cry, he hardly doubted that this was where they had been, why else would the room be in such a ruined state? He threw himself onto the piles of crumbling bricks and began to manually shift decaying, spider web covered rubble, searching for his wife and child.

He was almost in tears as he frantically threw debris aside, and finally he thought he caught a glimpse of pale skin as he heaved a large piece of stone away from the pile it was perched on. With added haste, he began to haul away more pieces, unearthing his wife little by little, until he had freed her.

'Lily!' James said, his voice and hands trembling as he searched for a pulse.

There! She had one! He was almost sobbing in relief, and he pulled her arms free, and turned her to try and sit her up.

'Lily!' he whispered. 'Lily, can you hear me? Wake up! Wake up!'

As he cleared the hair out of her eyes, she gave a faint groan.

'Lily!' he cried ecstatically, as she opened her eyes.

'James,' she whispered hoarsely. 'James, what happened? Where am I?'

'It's ok,' he soothed smiling broadly in joy, his heart was nearly bursting with relief, but Lily didn't look so happy.

'James, where's Harry?' she asked, a tear beginning to form in her eye.

James's smile was wiped off his face quicker than a bolt of lightning streaking across the sky, and a fresh wave of nausea coursed over him.

* * *

**_Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it._**


	3. Through the Veil

**_Ok, so here's the next chapter. Bit different from the last two, but adding to the ultimate goal of the story. Anyways, please read and review. Constructive critisism is especially welcome._**

* * *

Sirius Black was falling, falling backwards; he could feel it. He was going to fall flat on his back, there was nothing behind him to save him, except the cold, hard stone floor. He reached out his hands to try and grab the strange black material that was billowing around him. What was it? Oh yes, he must have fallen through that veil he'd been standing in front of.

His arms spun madly, almost comically, he thought as the material slid through his hands like smoke, and with a painful thud that knocked all the breath out of him, he crashed onto the hard stone floor. His wand spun out of his hand, and skidded to a stop a few feet away from his right foot.

He barely left himself a moment to catch his breath before, wincing, he scrambled onto his knees and snatched his wand off the floor, and jumped to his feet. Bellatrix. She was the only thought on his mind now. She had sent that curse at him, and Sirius wanted revenge. He was ready now, ready to make his comeback and finish her off. She had caused him pain; but he was going to double that. She would be a meaningless shivering wreck when he finished with her. She would pay, merely for being a Black, for representing everything that he had hated in that terrible house. She would take his anger for having to go back, back to a house that reminded him of the people he hated; her. Her and her family. They were no relatives of his.

He snatched the veil aside, and shook the dark hair out of his eyes, almost snarling like a dog, looking about him for his prey, but what he saw made him jump back in surprise.

There was nobody there. Not a soul. The room was empty

No Harry, no Bellatrix, no Moony, nobody. The large hall was completely and utterly deserted.

He hung back, uncertainly, his heart still pounding with the adrenalin of battle. The sound rang in his ears. It seemed to be echoing around the place. Where was everybody? He was sure they had been there before, he had seen them! He had cursed Dolohov, Dolohov who should be lying there, trapped by his godson's Body Binding Curse. And Tonks had fallen from the steps, he had seen her! Where was she? Where was anyone? How could they have disappeared so suddenly? It had only taken him a second to fall through the veil after Bellatrix's curse had hit him. Hadn't it?

He looked back at the veil, slightly apprehensive now. Had it done something to him? Taken him somewhere different, like a Portkey, or somehow transported him through time? If so, then where was he? Where was he in _time_? How would he get back to the time he belonged?

The veil was unnerving him now, he cast it an almost fearful look, expecting it to show some sort of sign of malicious intent, but it just hung innocently from its arch, fluttering slightly in a breeze that Sirius couldn't feel. Was that a sign? He snorted to himself. Flutterby bushed moved their leaves to a breeze that didn't exist, and they defiantly weren't malicious. But neither did they look as dark and almost sinister...

Sirius shook his head; he was getting carried away with his own delusions. Once, he might have allowed himself to, but this was now. He was a different person now. He moved away from the veil, casting one last suspicious glance at it and began inspecting the place. It was defiantly the same room; the door was in the same place at the top of the stone steps, and the dais seemed in roughly the same place. There were even _signs_ of the battle. Here and there were scorch marks on the floor, defiantly the result of spells hitting them forcefully. He also noticed that in places, there were bits of stone from the floor and walls that were chipped as if spells had ricocheted off them.

He peered closely at these damaged stones, and picked a corner of one such mark. More flakes and small lumps came away easily in his hand. However, the colour contrast was startling. Underneath the bits Sirius had just picked off was a light golden colour, whereas the bits next to it were darker and duller, as if they had already been there some years, and had weathered slightly.

Sirius dropped the pieces of stone in his hand. They hit the floor and the noise they made on impact echoed eerily round the room. Was this some sort of trick? Was there some form of Dark Magic going on here? Sirius took up his battle stance again, casting his eyes about him in suspicion.

'_Maleficus revelio!'_ he whispered, his voice still echoing loudly around the room.

Nothing happened. Sirius didn't know whether the spell had worked; it was supposed to reveal the presence of Dark Magic, but considering the enemy, he wouldn't be surprised if there was magic well hidden and concealed. He tried again.

'_Homenum revelio!'_

Again, there was nothing. No friends, anyway. And it was unlikely that there would be any enemies either. He had been pacing the room for a good ten minutes, his guard let down completely as he examined walls and floor, and nobody had attacked him. No, this was no Dark Magic.

But if it wasn't, then what the hell was happening?

* * *

**_Thanks very much for reading, hope you enjoyed it. If not, tell me why and I will try and improve. _**


	4. Desperate, Deciding

**_Next chapter! Some people said that the last one was too short, I hope this is a little better, its not that much longer, but I tried!  
Also, all my others started with a quote, but I couldn't think of anything that might be sort of relevant or related possibly. So no quote. A quick question, in the other chapters, were the quotes good, or just silly and a waste of space being there? I'd like to know your opinions, especially on characterisation. Did I get it ok? Was rather worried in this one. Hope you enjoy the chapter, and please review. As always concrit is most welcome, and thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far._**

* * *

James and Lily stood back to back in the middle of their kitchen, their hands hanging limply at their sides, fingers barely clinging onto their wands. Tears were frozen onto their pale faces, leaving shimmering silver trails on their cheeks, and feeling as if ice cold hands had gripped a hold over their insides.

'He's not here...' Lily whispered, her voice cracking with emotion.

James couldn't speak; couldn't turn around to comfort his wife, couldn't move even, he was locked in place, unable to move a single muscle. His son. His and Lily's child...

'What are we going to do?' Lily's voice was weak and faint, a sound which James didn't like to hear. Lily was always strong.

They had run, panic stricken, from room to room, Vanishing all in their way to try and find their Harry, James had even began to wrench things out of their places with his bare hands like some sort of frenzied animal. But they could not find him.

'James, we have to find him.' Lily seemed to be talking, but James wasn't even sure he could hear properly, his senses seemed to have sank away into the ground beneath his feet, he could no longer feel where or even what he was. He was sinking, sinking away into a dark hole full of nothing, he could feel nothing.

'James!' Lily's worried voice suddenly brought him slowly back to life. She was shaking his shoulders, eyes full of tears.

'Oh, Lily, I'm so sorry.' He murmured, finding his tongue again as he wrapped his arms around her. He needed to hold onto something to grip something, just to make sure he could feel, to make sure this was real, just to make sure he was alive.

'Where can he have gone?' he stammered awkwardly, 'Do you think he...'

James couldn't finish the sentence. He did not even want to think of that horror. Lily suddenly became stiff in his arms; her silence told him that she was trying not to think the same.

'What do you think happened here?' he asked, trying to rid himself of the horrid picture that was forming in his mind. 'How did he find us? I thought Dumbledore said he wouldn't get in.'

'The Charm must have been broken,' Lily said, pulling away from him. 'Someone must have told him... something must have happened...' she tailed off, seeing the look in his eyes.

'Told him?' James echoed, his fists clenching as he realised what that must mean.

'Look, James,' her voice was soft and comforting, despite what was happening. She pulled him to look at her. 'It could have been a number of things. For all we know they could have tortured it out of him. He could be dead. It won't have been Wormtail's fault, he would never do that to you.'

He listened to her reasoning, and his muscles relaxed. It was probably the truth, James knew that Peter would never betray one of his friends, they were like brothers to him, he would never even dream of purposely hurting any one of them. No, he would not jump to conclusions; he was not Sirius.

He immediately felt a pang of guilt for doubting his friend, but it was replaced in a instant when their situation returned to his mind.

'I have to find him.' He said.

Lily nodded. 'We should get to Dumbledore. He will know what to do. He will be able to explain.'

We? James registered the word briefly. There was no way he was putting Lily in danger. No again. Not after last time.

'You can't leave the house.' James told her, shaking his head. 'This could be a trap.'

'A trap?' she echoed him, a slight tone in her voice that under normal circumstances would have made James back away, but these were not normal circumstances.

'To lure us out of the house, to get us out of our safety zone.' He said. 'When we're away from it, they could pounce. I'm not putting you in danger.'

'We aren't going to be in danger.' Lily said. 'We're going to Apparate to Headquarters. They can't get to us there. And anyway, they wouldn't dare come to where Dumbledore might be, and where his protection is.'

'There is no _we_ about it,' James said firmly. 'And I am not going to Headquarters,' he added with a growl.

'There is a _we_ about it, James.' Lily argued. 'I will not be left at home to do nothing.'

'Fine.' James said shortly. 'I'll get Sirius to come here to protect you. Or you can go Balthilda's.'

'Oh really?' Lily's voice was laced with irony. 'And what will _you_ do?'

'I'm going after my son. And when I find him, I'll tear Voldemort limb from limb with my bear hands, along with anyone else who's hiding him!' he shouted.

'You can't do that, James!' Lily exclaimed. 'The Death Eaters –'

'Damn the Death Eaters!' James cut her off. 'I'm going to do everything I can to get my son back! I will not give up on Harry!'

'Neither will I!' Lily shouted back, her eyes flashing dangerously. 'But I'm going to do it the clever way, instead of rushing after _him_ without a second thought like some brawny oaf just to get myself killed as soon as I get close enough for him to reach!'

She was breathing heavily, adrenalin coursing through her, but slowly, she calmed.

'James,' she said quietly, almost sadly. 'I can't lose you as well.'

James couldn't speak. The look on Lily's face was terrible.

He closed his eyes, and felt his heart pumping madly in his ears. He wanted to scream, but he knew that Lily was talking sense. What good would it do Harry, running after Voldemort, just to fall like a puppet cut from its strings, useless and broken?

'I'm sorry, Lily,' he said, opening his eyes, his breathing slower, his heart rate calmed. 'You're right. I can't do that. I'm sorry.'

She nodded in a dignified fashion.

'We should go to Dumbledore.' She said.

'Yeah.' James agreed, though with the tiniest hint of reluctance in his voice. 'He'll know what to do.'

'Do you think it's safe?' Lily motioned to the door.

'I think so.' James said, quiet and reassuring. 'We haven't been attacked yet.'

He looked at her, and she smiled a weak smile that did not reach her tear stained eyes.

He gripped his wand in one hand, and took Lily's small hand in the other, and together they opened the door and stepped out into the bright sunshine.


	5. Dolorous Place

**_Again, no quote as I couldn't think of one. I'm not too happy with the name of Dumbledore's house. Not the first part, the second. I think there's a name for it, but I've forgotten what it is. If anyone has any suggestions other than 'Place', which I don't like because it's too close to 'Grimmauld Place' then please, let me know! _**

* * *

The warm sunshine was almost blinding, and Lily and James each threw their hand to shield their eyes from its shining rays. It was _too_ bright. Something was wrong.

If yesterday was the last day of October, Halloween, then by the natural laws of time itself, today should be the first day of November, the beginning of winter. But looking around them, James could tell that this was defiantly not winter. The trees were adorned with green leaves, the sun that was beaming down at them was not the watery one that shone on winter days, but was emitting the warm shining rays of summer from where it hung in the deep blue cloudless sky. This was not the first day of winter, but the middle of summer.

What was going on?

'Lily –' James began to say, but she cut him off.

'I know. It's _summer!_' she breathed. 'What on earth is happening? How long were we unconscious?'

James shook his head, he was stunned and confused.

'I don't know. I don't know what's going on,' he said, tightening his grip on his wand, obviously some sort of Dark Magic was being worked here.

'I don't like it,' Lily said, the panic coming through in her voice. 'Let's get to Headquarters.'

James nodded in agreement and cast one last suspicious look around their warm garden before turning on the spot and vanishing into thin air.

He materialised a few seconds later on a windy stretch of moor with Lily beside him. In front of them was raised wooden stands that didn't quite hide the set of three hoops standing on stilts fifty feet in the air.

'Come on,' Lily grabbed his hand again and dragged her husband away from the Quidditch pitch that he was staring at, almost longingly, and towards an old weather beaten shed with the sign that read 'Staff Only' pinned lopsidedly to the rusty door.

She pushed the door open, and the scream of twisting metal vibrated around them, the door was in bad need of oiling. The room it concealed was dark, and the dank, musty smell of disuse lingered in the air. It contained only a rotting wooden table, several splintered chairs, and along the back wall, a fireplace riddled with dust and cobwebs.

'Urgh,' Lily said, as she took the mouldering flowerpot off the mantelpiece. 'They make it look worse every time. Does it need to be quite so disgusting?'

But James seemed to be only half listening, he was examining the place with apparent interest.

'No wizard did this,' he said quietly, running a finger along the top of the fireplace.

'What?'

'I said this wasn't done by wizards. Its natural.' James repeated darkly.

'Natural? But, it must have taken years...' she tailed off quietly. 'The house.'

James looked at her, his face pale, unsure as to what all this meant.

'But we can't have been unconscious for _years!_' Lily breathed in disbelief. 'Someone would have come looking for us! What happened to Harry?'

'Let's just get to Dumbledore.' He told her, taking a handful of the dusty powder from the flowerpot she still clutched in her hands.

As he threw it into the fireplace, bright green flames sprung up where there had been nothing but leaf skeletons and dead spiders. He stepped into the warm flames, Lily at his side.

'Dolorous Place!' he said into the flames, and clutched onto Lily's hand as they both spun upwards in a shoot of flame and ash.

After a few seconds of sickening spinning, they came to an abrupt halt at a fireplace in a grand, but dark room. James stepped out into the handsome oak panelled room and looked about him. This was wrong. Usually, the was at least four people in this room, but now it was bare of all human life. This unnerved him, and he strode over to the ornate carved table that stood in the centre of the book lined study.

The place seemed desolate and forlorn, as if it mourned the people that should be present, and whose absence was profound and unnerving. James had never really liked this place, or felt at ease here. Of course, it suited Dumbledore well who matched both the regal settings and furnishings and the ponderously sad atmosphere that seemed to linger here.

For James, the things that were discussed within these walls had to have a melancholy effect on the surroundings, and it always depressed him to be here. He felt the familiar sorrow creep upon him again, though this time the feeling was heightened, as if the place contained more sadness than the previous times he had visited.

'Why is nobody here?' he whispered quietly, trying to shake off the strange feelings.

He heard Lily move across the room behind him, but he still jumped when she called his name.

'James!' he turned to see her stood by one of the bookshelves, her finger held up in the air. 'Dust! Nobody's cleaned in here for months.'

This was odd, James knew for a fact that there was always someone in this house, it was the Headquarters of the Order for goodness sake! Dumbledore may not spend much time in his house personally and James privately understood why, but he always made sure that there was someone here, just in case.

'Maybe something has happened,' he gulped, feeling a wave of distress course over him

'James,' Lily breathed, close to him now, her voice comforting in his ear, soothing away the wistful feeling. 'If we had lost, surely he would have destroyed this place, smashed it to the ground! He wouldn't have calmly left it to sit and do nothing,' she reasoned. 'Anyway, this isn't like the other places; the house and the shed. They looked like nobody had been in for years, this looks like it's only been left a few months. They could have just relocated.'

'And not told us?' James asked.

'We were in hiding,' she said. 'We didn't need to know. It was two less risks to the Death Eaters finding out where we were.

James nodded. She was speaking sense.

'We still have to get to Dumbledore, though,' he said.

'Yes,' she agreed. 'We'll have to go to Hogwarts. And if he's not there, McGonagall will know what to do. Or where he is anyway.'

'We should look round here anyway,' he looked at her, almost for reassurance. 'Just check.'

She nodded softly, but he could tell from her expression that she was really just humouring him. She didn't expect to find anything. The other rooms in the house were just as disheartening as the study they had just left, and a quick scour revealed nothing. James knew that Lily had been right, but she was being graceful about it, patient, which considering the circumstances, was incredible. Not a day had passed since he had known her that she had failed to impress him.

'Hogwarts now?' she turned to him, the impatience finally creeping slightly into her voice.

'Hogwarts,' he confirmed with a quick smile, ready to leave the house in its forlorn state.

* * *

**_Thanks for reading, please leave a review and tell me truthfully what you think, constructive critisism is the only way I can improve. _**


	6. Yaxley and Thicknesse

**_Thanks to BloOm for your reviews, seeing as I can't thank you in review replies, I'll do it here. Thanks to everyone else who has reviewed or alerted this story, I'm glad you thought it good enough to do that. Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy, and please review and tell me what you think._**

* * *

Sirius wrenched open the door and threw himself into the dark circular room from where he had come. He ran full pelt to the opposite door, just hoping that this was the way out, he didn't have time to try every single one, he just wanted to get back to Grimmauld Place and find out what had happened to everyone. What had happened to Harry.

To his delight, he found that this was the right door, he was looking down the passageway that he and the Order had come down earlier, he could see the glinting golden grilles of the lifts! He ran at it and turned aside, not wanting to bother waiting for the lift, hurtling up the stairs that were concealed there two at a time.

He ran up one flight and ripped aside the tapestry that concealed the entrance and almost fell into the noisy atrium, which was packed with people.

At once, Sirius's heart stopped and he froze in panic. He was done for! He shouldn't be seen! He was supposed to be a dangerous criminal, on the run from the law, he couldn't be spotted in the Ministry of Magic itself! His brain was screaming at him to move, to conceal himself, to transform, anything would be better than standing here exposed, but his muscles wouldn't work. This was it, his worst fear realised. It was the end, and the thudding of his impatient heart was going to be his last memory.

Slowly, he began to recover himself, to overcome the dramatics and try and formulate a plan. His sudden arrival seemed to have gone unnoticed, so he slowly and carefully, with his heart in his mouth, stepped backwards until he was concealed behind the tapestry again. He snapped it quickly shut, and tried to steady his breathing as his heart returned to a normal rhythm.

Who they were those people out there? Why were they here? They had defiantly not been earlier, and he was sure that they had not been here that long. It was all very strange. As he leaned against the cold stone wall to try and clear his thoughts, the curtain was ripped aside, and Sirius immediately sprang into a defensive position, his want raised, his heart once again in his throat, his veins pumping with the adrenalin of shock.

There was nowhere to hide here, nowhere to run. The two men looked straight at him for a moment, their faces registering nothing, and Sirius began to think. Two, he could deal with, nobody need know he was here. But, incredulously, they ignored him and turned to face one another to carry on their conversation!

Sirius lowered his wand slightly in shock. It was not the reaction he had expected, the men were carrying on as if he wasn't there! He remembered the blank reactions of the people in the atrium when he had burst unexpectedly among them, and began to wonder if they could actually see him at all.

Cautiously, he stepped towards them, his wand still raised, just in case, but they paid him no more attention than the wall behind them.

'Can you hear me?' he asked tentatively.

Neither man gave any inclination that they could. They remained in deep discussion, whispering in fast hurried tones. Sirius crept closer, as close as he dared and waved a hand in front of one of their faces. Nothing.

He stepped back in shock and disbelief, unsure as what to do. Was this a trap? Were they going to turn around now in his moment of uncertainty when his guard was dropped, and wheel him off to the Dementors? He stared at the men, and as he did so, he began to recognise one of them, Pius Thicknesse, someone who was a couple of years above him at Hogwarts. Yes, he was sure it was him. Sirius looked to the other man. It was Yaxley, a Death Eater. Sirius scowled at him. What he wouldn't give to take him out here and now, but he became distracted by their conversation.

'The Dark Lord wants us to delay on this matter,' Thicknesse was saying. 'Surely he has spoken of it with you?'

'You know he hasn't, Thicknesse,' Yaxley said with a snide tone. 'Don't try and throw your power around, remember who put you here.'

'I'd prefer it if you addressed me as Minister,' Thicknesse snarled.

'Certainly, _Minister_.' Yaxley's tone was less than civil, but Sirius wasn't listening anymore.

Thicknesse, Minister for Magic? Had he heard correctly? But what about Fudge? And what was all this 'Dark Lord' nonsense? Sirius shook his head, trying to make sense of what he had heard. If his senses weren't lying to him, Thicknesse had gone over, and it sounded like he and Yaxley were plotting to put him as Minister for Magic. He couldn't have come into office in the few short hours Sirius had spent in the Department of Mysteries, it must be a plot against Fudge.

His thoughts fled to Dumbledore. Was he aware of this? He was sure he wasn't, the Order would have been aware if Dumbledore knew about something as serious as this, they would have upped their protection over Fudge. But there was a sly voice creeping into his mind.

'Are you sure they just didn't tell you to keep you out of the way?' it hissed in his ear, mocking him, exactly the way Snape did. 'To stop you from getting involved? To keep you out of trouble?'

'I would have known,' he snarled back at the voice, painfully aware that hearing voices was not a good omen. 'Dumbledore's a better man than that.'

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the voice, but a trace of it still lingered in his mind.

He would have to tell Dumbledore, there was no way something like this could be ignored, and he would finally prove himself useful and be the one to deliver the news. The idea seemed to light a fire in his mind. He would show Snape that he was not useless.

Striding past Thicknesse and Yaxley, he tore open the curtain and strode off among the oblivious witches and wizards going about their daily business.


	7. Magic is Might

_**Ok, sorry the update on this took so long, but I was having a bit of trouble with this one. It kept feeling like I was rambling, and not getting Sirius's character quite right. I hope this is ok, but your thoughts on it would be really appreciated. Hope you enjoy.**_

* * *

Sirius tore through the atrium, carefully dodging the people that could not see him, he did not want to risk the fact that they might be able to feel him if they collided at speed. Something, however, caught his eye. He skidded to a stop in front of a gigantic black statue. He was absolutely certain that this had not been in here when they had come through earlier. There had been a statue, a fountain, he recalled dimly; he had not paid close attention to it, but that one had not been dark. It had filled the dark atrium with dapples of light as the water had reflected off the shining metal.

He looked up at the enormous sculpture and saw with disgust that a haughty looking witch and wizard were sitting on a grotesque pile of human bodies, their features twisted and contorted so that they would have looked almost comical if it were not for the symbolism.

Sirius's attention was then drawn to the words beneath.

Magic is Might? That surely was verging on Death Eater ideals. His suspicions were confirmed, something Dark was going on here; it looked like it had started already. Was Fudge still Minister? He was an idiot, for sure, but Sirius had trouble imagining that this commission had come from him. And what about the conversation he had overheard between Yaxley and Thicknesse? Thicknesse had urged Yaxley to call him Minister, but he could not have simply taken power like that. Maybe Fudge had been Imperiused, and they were acting through him.

Sirius shook his head, he was resigned to the fact that he had been out for some time down in the bowls of the Department of Mysteries, something had happened when he fell through that veil, the evidence was too strong to ignore. But the question was _what_? Who knew what Harry and the others had been doing in the other rooms, what they had broken, or dislodged down there, and had caused this strange rift in time. The most important thing now was to relay to Dumbledore what he had witnessed, the other questions he was burning to ask could wait. This was far more important.

He had once told the Weasley twins that being in the Order was more important than anything, and now that was being tested. However strong his impulse was to go and find Harry and make sure he was alright, he knew that the Order had to come first. There would have been a time, long ago now, when he would have cast something like this aside if he thought one of his friends was in danger. But that impulse had weakened when he joined the real world, and saw how things really were. Saving people's lives were more important than checking up on a friend. Anyway, there had been numerous Order members there, and even Dumbledore himself, they would take care of him, wouldn't they? He shook his head angrily to rid himself of this thought, and the guilt of doubt that was becoming to creep on him. Moony was with them, he would take care of Harry and the others. He was sure of it.

Casting one last disgusted look at the gruesome statue, he turned on the spot, and vanished, reappearing only a second later in the leafy square outside number twelve, Grimmauld Place, a place whose former inhabitants would surely have approved of the statue he had just been staring at, and what it implied. He charged up the steps, and threw the door open and almost fell into the hall, tripping over the toll leg umbrella stand, which crashed to the floor.

Promptly, the curtains covering that detested picture of his late mother flew open, and she began to scream.

'DISGUSTING MUDBLOODS AND HALF-BREEDS PLOTTING AGAINST THE DARK LORD!' she screeched. 'INCESSANT MUTTERINGS AND PLANNING! I WILL NOT TOLERATE IT!'

'Oh shut up, you old hag!' Sirius roared, as he massaged his painful leg. He hobbled over to the curtain and managed to wrench it shut, and peace was restored. He limped towards the door at the end of the hall and down the stone steps to the kitchen, the place where Order members were most likely to be. The door to the kitchen stood open, and Sirius could see that it was empty. That was strange, he thought, slightly unnerved. He also noticed that the place seemed to have undergone a thorough cleaning, the pots and pans hanging from the walls had been polished to a shine, and the long table had been scrubbed and waxed. However, this seemed to have been done some time ago, as there was a thin film of dust covering every surface.

Shrugging this off, he traipsed back up the steps, assuming that everyone was in a different part of the house, but his quick search was fruitless. Each of the rooms seemed to have been cleaned within an inch of its life, but all bore thin covering of dust, evidently this house had been uninhabited for some time.

Perplexed, Sirius threw himself onto his four poster bed, wondering what on earth could be going on. Had something happened to time, or was it just him? Was it Dark Magic? And why couldn't anyone see him? He was beginning to realise that this was the most worrying thing, if nobody could see or hear him, how could he relay what he knew to the Order? How could he communicate to them? What good could he do, if he could not warn them?

He needed Dumbledore, the man was so extraordinary it wouldn't surprise him if he alone could see him. It was worth trying, he needed to know what was going on, what was happening, and most importantly he needed to tell Dumbledore what he had discovered. He would have to go to Hogwarts.

He sighed, casting his eyes wistfully at the photograph stuck to the wall. Four beaming teenage faces grinned back out at him, almost in mockery of what he had become. He didn't like going back there. It reminded him of when he had been young and carefree, in stark contrast to the man he was now. While he was there, there were constant reminders of the adventures he and his friends had undertaken, alive with excitement, the fun they had had together, but most of all, it reminded him of James. When he had been there after his escape from Azkaban, just walking down the corridors had been painful, he could almost hear the ghosts of themselves as they laughed and joked their way to their next classes about their latest adventure at full moon, or James's most recent failure in asking Lily out. No, he did not like going back to that place, but there were things more important than his pain, he reminded himself of his earlier internal battle.

With a sigh, and a last glance at the photograph, he got off his bed and turned off the spot, vanishing into thin air.

* * *

_**Thanks for reading, please review and tell me what you think.**_


	8. Realisation

**_Hey guys, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy._**

* * *

Remus Lupin awoke with a sharp intake of breath. Struggling to catch it, he sat up, rubbing his aching chest. It was dark, and black heaps littered the lawn in front of where he lay. Where had the battle gone? Yes, he knew there had been a fight, he had been in it. It was Hogwarts's final stand against evil. He had been duelling Dolohov, but where was everyone? The flashes of light, the people locked in a fight to the death, the screams and shouts had all gone. The battle had moved away from the lawns.

How long had he been unconcious? The grounds were silent, so it must have been some time, the fight had been raging in his memory. His thoughts turned to his comrades, how did they fare? Where was Dora? Was she alright? She had been beside him, fighting a masked Death Eater, some unknown terror. He had to find her.

He hauled himself to his feet, wincing with the pain that must have been caused with the spell had hit him, what had it been? Had he been merely stunned, or was it something more sinister? He was sure that Dolohov would not be content to merely leave his victim lying unconcious on the ground. He checked himself, twitching his limbs, nothing _felt_ wrong, he could use his arms and legs, he could stand for goodness sake, and all his senses seemed fine, yet something was wrong. The silence that had been cast over the grounds was eerie, it was too quiet. Had something happened?

What were these bundles heaped like rocks over the grass? He approached the nearest one, and saw with a shock that it was a body, the black folds of robes had fallen across the victim's face. Or was it a victim? He could not tell whether the body belonged to Death Eater or comrade. He couldn't bare to lift the material and identify the fallen. He knew he should, but he couldn't force his hands to work, they wouldn't obey his brain. What if it was someone he cared about?

Full of shame at his cowardice, he turned away from all the bodies, and walked towards the castle, determinedly not looking down, trying not to see the blank faces that stared up at him. By the time he reached the steps to the Entrance Hall, he was running. Just as he was about to throw open the door, two figures emerged.

'Time for another,' one burdened voice said. It was Neville Longbottom.

His companion, who Remus recognised at the former Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, Oliver Wood, merely nodded in agreement, head bowed.

The did not see him. It was understandable, Remus thought. They were only young, and had never seen the likes of this before. He watched as they made their way over to one of the bundles that he had been to weak to even look at, and gently uncovered the face. From where he was, Remus could not tell who it was, but Neville shook his head, and he and Oliver left the bundle and went to another. This one, however, they hoisted gently into the air, and carried it across the grass. They were recovering bodies.

He could look no longer, could not bare to see them, so young, doing what he could not find the courage to even attempt. The symbolism of the two youths stumbling amongst the dead, bearing between them a small and petite body, was too much for him to bear. He closed his eyes, and made to turn away, but some other sense was awoken in him. Something was shouting at him, telling him that he was a bigger man than this, that he was braver, more courageous. To turn away, scared of bodies, was akin to something that Voldemort would do, Remus Lupin would not be guilty of such cowardice. The voice reasoning with him sounded like Dora.

Taking strength from her voice, he walked back down the steps towards the boys. Again, they gave no inclination that he was there, too troubled with their task, too intent on menouvering around the fallen. Eventually, they reached him, and he opened his mouth to speak, but he looked down at the body they bore. It was Dora.

It felt like the world momentarily fell away from him. He was spinning, spinning away from reality, he had been borne away from here, to a terrible aching place, something was tearing at his heart, trying to wrench it from his chest and fling it into the abyss that seemed to stretch before him...

But then he heard her voice again, she was talking to him, calming him, bringing him back to the castle, he would see her soon, she was saying. But for now he had to be brave, be brave and do what Harry needs you to do. Keep going.

His vision swam back into focus, and he saw her again, peaceful in death, not a scratch on her. She could have been sleeping. A small tear leaking from his eye, he reached down and took a hand that was hanging by her side. Slowly, they made their way up the steps and into the Entrance Hall, oblivious to anything that might have been said to him, unaware of the state of the Hall. The silence was deafening now.

The door to the Great Hall was open, and there were a large number of people grouped around something in the middle. Remus dimly wondered what it was, but a crowd of Weasley's parted when he, Neville and Oliver approached, bearing their slumbering burden.

They lowered Dora gently to the floor, and Remus kept a hold on her hand, smoothing her hair out of her eyes with the other. Nobody had come to him, he was grateful for that. He needed a moment to grieve. His eyes flicked automatically to the body she was sleeping next to, and his tear filled eyes widened with shock and disbelief.

It was him.

He lay there, cold and unharmed, and looked too like he could be merely sleeping. He let go of Dora's hand, and looked wildly at the group of people clustered near him, wondering what was happening. How could he lie there, clearly dead, yet be here now, thinking and walking and talking? Nobody was looking at him. Was he a ghost? He looked down at his hands, they were substantial, defiantly solid, but he noticed that they were pale, far paler than his skin was normally, paler than those stood about him.

Was he some sort of ghost? A different kind of ghost, a kind of pre-spirit? Or was this the afterlife? Was it heaven? No, he thought. If he was in heaven, Dora would be with him, he was sure of that. Dora, her father, Sirius, Lily, James, they would all be here if he was in heaven. Maybe it was hell. No, he thought. Hell would be worse, much worse. All he felt now was confusion mingled with sadness. Hell would be pain and fire worse than this, worse than even his transformations had been back when there was no Wolfsbane potion, and no friends to help him out.

He stood up, none of the Weasleys who were all grouped next to him, noticed. He peered through their bodies to see who or what they were looking at, and saw with a shock, one of the twins, a long gash on his forehead, both ears in tact.

Fred.

Remus felt a pang of grief as he looked on the youngster's face, but not nearly what he had felt when he had seen Dora. If he was truly dead, he would see them all again soon. He would see Dora again, and Fred, and all who had lost their life this day, and whose bodies were also lined up here beside his own.

It was strange to think that. Strange that he should be standing here, looking down on his own dead body. He remembered an even back at Grimmauld Place, two years ago now, when he and Sirius had found Molly Weasley sobbing over Harry's dead body. Harry had been there, looking strangely down at himself sprawled on the floor. He knew now how Harry had felt, but it had been different then. Harry knew that the body was not real, merely a boggart, but he, Remus, was not sure. He didn't even know if he was alive.

He thought back to Molly, surely before he had gotten to her, the boggart must have turned into the body of Fred. Now she was living that nightmare. His heart went out to her. He knew what she felt, his wife was dead, and for a while, if only a short while, he had thought that he would have to continue without her, alone once again.

He turned away from them, those whom he could not comfort. He left the Great Hall altogether, and wandered into the Entrance Hall. Oliver and Neville had returned with another body. Remus didn't look down. He would see whoever it was soon enough, he knew. Just as he would see the others that he had loved and lost. He knew now that he was dead, that he would be off on his journey soon. He could not say how he knew, he just did. It was almost as if a sixth sense was reaching out to him, telling him that it was not his time yet, however. He had some other purpose first, one final task.


	9. Death, and all His Friends

**_Well, here's the next chapter. It's nearing the end too, and I'm gonna be very sad when its finished cus I love writing it! Hope you enjoy and please review! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far._**

* * *

Lily and James materialised outside the gates of Hogwarts, and what they saw caused them to gasp in shock. Part of the wall that ran around the castle grounds had been destroyed, and the stone was lying in a crumbled heap, scattered across the path. A huge, boat-like clog had been abandoned a little further away.

'What's happening?' Lily exclaimed in disbelief.

'Hogwarts has been attacked.' James said grimly, tightening his hold on his wand and beginning to pick his way over the rubble.

'But why?' Lily asked, following him. 'They wouldn't dare with Dumbledore still here.'

'They obviously have.'

'We have to help.' Lily's face was determined, as if she was expecting James to try and send her to safety again, but James merely nodded resignedly.

They scrambled through the hole in the wall and began to run up the path towards the twinkling lights of the castle. As they drew nearer, the light began to show odd lumps scattered all over the place.

'What are they?' Lily asked as they drew near to one.

She gasped as she realised what it was.

'James, oh my God, James, it's a person!'

James rushed over and turned the figure onto their back. He quickly checked the pulse, but he wasn't hopeful; the person was cold and pale. He was clearly dead. A white mask was lying next to the body.

'A Death Eater,' James said in disgust, standing up again. 'And good riddance.'

'But all these others...' Lily trailed off, a tear winding its way down her cheek.

'Lily, there's nothing we can do for them,' James said softly, leading her back to the path. 'We have to find out what's going on. We have to find Harry.'

Lily nodded, and allowed herself to be escorted along the path, but still looking at all the bodies scattered over the grass, wondering if any of their friends were among the victims.

'Harry!' a relieved voice shouted from behind them.

They both spun round towards the speaker, hearts racing at the mention of their son. It was Sirius.

'Padfoot!' James exclaimed, a hint of relief in his tone; he was glad his friend wasn't among the fallen.

'Padfoot, what's going on?' Lily cried, rushing towards him.

'P-Prongs?' Sirius's eyes were wide with shock, and he was as pale as if he'd seen a ghost. 'Lily?'

'Yeah, it's us, mate.' James said. 'Look, what's happened here?'

But Sirius just stared at them, looking from face to face with utter disbelief mingled with something else, a slight twinkle in his eye.

'It can't be!' Sirius breathed. He was shaking.

'What's wrong, Padfoot?' James asked, his smile fading slightly. 'What's going on here? We need to find Dumbledore, something's happened to Harry.'

'Sirius, your scaring me,' Lily laughed nervously. 'What's the matter?'

'You- your _dead!_' he exclaimed.

'Dead?' James's smile vanished to be replaced with a look of mingled confusion and concern for his friend.

'You died!' he whispered, and then clapped his hand to his forehead. 'I'm going mad,'

'Why?' Lily asked, reaching out and pulling his hand away from his face. 'We aren't dead. Feel this. We're real. Now please tell us what's going on!'

Sirius shook his head.

'I don't know what's happening.' He said. 'I don't know what's going on. This can't be real.'

'It is, mate.' James said, starting to sound slightly annoyed. 'Look, just tell us what is wrong!'

Sirius looked up, a tear forming in the corner of his eye.

'You died,' he said. 'Nearly fifteen years ago. Halloween, 1981. You- you were _murdered._'

'It _is_ Halloween, 1981!' James said. 'Well it was yesterday.'

But Sirius shook his head.

'No, mate. It's not. It's the summer of 1996.'

'But-' Lily stammered, unable to digest this piece of information.

'It is. Trust me.' Sirius said. 'I can't believe you're here.'

He threw his arms around James, tears spilling down his cheeks. Bemused, James hugged back, unsure of quite what to do.

'Harry.' Lily whispered. 'What happened to Harry?'

Sirius released James and turned to Lily, wiping his eyes.

'Dumbledore took him to live with Petunia,' he told her. 'He's fifteen now. He's here, at Hogwarts.'

Lily gasped. She couldn't believe it, but why would Sirius lie about something like this? He had a particular face that he wore when he was up to something, and this wasn't it. He seemed genuinely upset and astonished to see them.

Harry was fifteen. He had grown up without them, without knowing them. Their own son wouldn't know them.

'Why didn't you take him?' James asked gruffly. Evidently, he was having trouble accepting this too.

Sirius was silent for a moment, his air seemed wistful.

'I tried,' he said. 'And if I did, it might have changed everything. Hagrid took him,' he added in explanation. 'To Petunia, and I, well, I went after Peter.'

Lily gasped again and began to interrupt, but Sirius held up his hand to stop her.

'He murdered you! Betrayed you to Voldemort, what did you expect me to do? Sit down calmly with a cup of tea?' he said. 'No, I went after him, found him too. I cornered him in the middle of a street in broad daylight. I was going to kill him for killing you. I wanted to punish him, but the little swine blew the street up behind us, killing everyone in range. He transformed and escaped to a life in exile, and I was left behind. They convicted me of your murder, and I was sentenced to life in Azkaban.'

'Oh, Sirius!' Lily was in tears. James was silent, trying to take in what had happened to his best friend.

'But how are you here now? If they sentenced you for life?' Lily asked.

'I escaped,' he sighed, reliving it was painful. 'Two years ago. I've been on the run since then. Harry helped me escape the Ministry. He's a good kid,' he added to the pair of them. 'Really brave, you'd be proud of him, hell knows I am. He looks like you, Prongs. Exactly, but with Lily's eyes.'

'We missed him growing up,' Lily whispered. 'We missed everything. Where is he, is he here?'

Her eyes widened in horror, and darted back to the bundles lying about them. What if he was one of them?

'I don't know.' Sirius said, looking as concerned as her. Evidently the same thoughts were running through his head. 'Something happened. We were at the Ministry, there was a fight with the Death Eaters, I don't know why they were there; Harry and a few other kids were trying to fight them, but something happened, and I fell through some sort of arch, and when I hit the other side, everyone had gone. So I came here to find Dumbledore and see what's going on.'

'Harry was fighting Death Eaters?' James sounded horrified, mixed with a hint of pride.

'Yeah,' Sirius said. 'He's got a habit of getting himself into a bit of bother with them. Look, we really need to find Dumbledore. I'll tell you the rest on the way.'

He turned and made his way up to the castle, his dead friends following, hands clasped, tears falling freely down their faces.


	10. Lifting Mists

Remus wandered aimlessly among the bodies that still littered the lawns. He was no longer afraid of them, seeing as he was one himself, lying cold and pale inside the castle. He was not sad for them either, he knew that if he cared about them, he would see them soon, and if not, then he hoped that they were at peace, wherever they were.

He did not really know what to do with himself. He knew that he still had something to do, some task that needed completing before he went on, but he did not know what it was, or indeed _when_ he would be required. He was sure that the opportunity would present itself to him at the right moment.

He watched as Neville and Oliver returned and picked up another body, a tiny body, surely one of a student, he thought. His suspicions were confirmed as the light from the castle windows fell on the small face. It was a boy Remus thought was called Creevey. He remembered him from his year as Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Colin was his name, he looked older now than he had been then, but his face still clung onto the round freshness of youth. He had been in the year below Harry at that time. Remus quickly did the maths. He was too young to be of age, he should have left with the other students, but evidently had found a way back. Remus felt a shot of sympathy for his poor family, now that he was, or at least had been, a father, he could imagine the pain of losing a child.

His thoughts now drifted to his son. He felt slightly emotional as the ppor boyno longer had both, or any parents, but he had a loving grandmother in Andromeda and a godfather in Harry, who would understand his situation, and hopefully Teddy would one day understand why both he and Dora were gone. And anyway, it was not like he would never see Teddy again. They would meet once more, when Teddy, after hopefully what was a long and fulfilled life, passed away.

'Moony!'

His thoughts were disrupted by a painfully familiar voice, a voice that he had not heard in nearly two years, and it filled him with happiness. Prickling with anticipation, he turned to face the owner of the voice, only to be greeted with a pleasanter surprise that he could have ever hoped for.

'Prongs!' he exclaimed in delight. 'Lily! Sirius!'

'Remus, what the hell is going on here?' Sirius exclaimed.

Remus looked at each of their faces in turn. Confusion, pain and worry lingered there.

'Hogwarts is making her stand.' Remus said.

'Against the Death Eaters?' James asked, gripping his wand. Remus vaguely wondered why. He couldn't be of use in that way.

'Yes, and Voldemort I believe,' he said.

'Then what the hell are you doing wandering out here?' Lily sighed in exasperation. Remus looked at her. After all this time, he'd forgotten just how bright those eyes had been.

'We want to find Harry,' James said.

'There's nothing we can do.' Remus told them.

'Why not?' Sirius interjected, crossly.

'We're dead,' he replied simply. 'Why else are we all back here together?'

'I'm not dead!' Sirius replied, indignantly. 'You aren't dead! Prongs and Lily are, and Merlin knows why they're here, but they are.'

'You _are_ dead, Sirius,' Remus said. 'You died in the Department of Mysteries. Two years ago.'

'I- I what?' Sirius stammered, recoiling from his friend in shock. 'I can't have! Why do I not remember dying? It's rather a big event, you think I'd remember some of it!'

'Padfoot,' Lily said gently. 'We didn't know either. We don't remember.'

Remus watched as Sirius stopped to consider this fact.

'I'm dead,' he said quietly after a while. 'How did I die? Was it that veil? What happened to everyone after?'

'You fell through the veil,' Remus confirmed. 'Everyone was fine. Well, not fine. Harry was rather distraught.'

'How is he?' James asked softly.

'He's okay,' Remus said. 'How much do you know?' he added to Lily and James.

'Sirius told us everything.' James replied. 'But if it's been a couple of years since... Well, we won't be up to date.'

Remus nodded, wondering how to begin to tell them how their only son had been hunted like a wild boar this past year, the danger he was in.

'He's been on the run for a year. Voldemort is after him. He has some sort of quest, I don't know what it was, that he has to complete. Something Dumbledore gave him.'

'Dumbledore?' Sirius asked. 'Why can't he do it himself?'

'Dumbledore's dead, Padfoot.'

The shock of his words echoed around the small group as each member tried to digest this new piece of horrible information.

'Dead?' Lily repeated in horror. 'How?'

For a second time, Remus hesitated, unsure of how to break this delicate news. He knew that Lily and Snape had been friendly at one time, and even though she had ended their friendship, she would still not take the news that her former friend had turned into a callous murderer too well.

'Snape,' he said after a pause, glancing at Lily, whose eyes widened again in shock.

'Snape?' this time it was not Lily who sounded so disgusted, but Sirius.

Remus nodded.

'That filthy grease-ball murdered Dumbledore?'

Remus nodded again.

'Last year. He was a spy. A secret Death Eater.'

'Oh my god!' Sirius exclaimed. 'That unimaginable git! And to think, we let him give Harry Occlumency lessons!'

'You let that fiend at my son?' James shouted.

'He's a teacher here, Prongs.' Remus said in a calming voice.

'Can we leave Severus alone for a moment?' Lily raised her voice to override James. 'You say we're all dead? What about you?'

'You're dead too?' Sirius exclaimed. Evidently he was too preoccupied with the news of his own death earlier to notice that Remus had confirmed that he too, was dead.

'I died in this battle.' Remus told them. 'I saw my body in the Great Hall. I'm dead.'

'So why are we all here?' Lily asked, looking round at her husband and friends.

'There's something we have to do.' Remus said. 'Can you not feel it?'

There was silence around the group as each person collected their thoughts. As they let their senses wander from their bodies, they felt things that they had not been there previously. Perhaps it was due to the fact that their minds were on other things, clouded with worry and confusion, or the fact that they did not realise what they were, but they felt a clarity coming over them, like a morning mist lifting to reveal the shining sun.

They remembered things, or a place more specifically, a bright sunny landscape, dotted with familiar landmarks, with white light illuminating everything it touched, and a feeling of great contented happiness. Each of them remembered that they had met before in this beautiful place and the reunion had been joyful and full of tears, a reunion after many long years of separation and sorrow for those left behind.

They remembered heaven.

And as they remembered this place, a sense of purpose descended on them, and they knew that they had been brought back here for a reason, their loved one's intention had called them, and they had responded, and now a resolution had been made, they were allowed to remember, they had been granted clarity, all they needed to do now was wait.

Just then, the heavy wooden doors hiding the castle's Entrance Hall swung open, but there was no visible person that had caused this, and they knew their time had come.


	11. The Dead we Have Loved

**_Well guys, this is the last chapter! It's a lot shorter than the others, but I couldn't put any more into it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited, and alerted this story, especially BloOm, who I can't thank in review replies, silverbirch for all your reviews, and DeliaDee for your lovely long ones. Thanks for reading! xxx_**

* * *

'_It did not matter about bringing them back, for he was about to join them... he was not really fetching them: they were fetching him.'  
-JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_

They knew someone was there, even if they could not see him, the dead that followed the living.

They stayed at a distance, he had not yet summoned them, though his intentions were strong now. He gripped the stone in his hand, but there was still something separating them from his skin, a shell, a veil that kept them in the shadows, so they simply followed.

As they walked behind him, they could feel, with a strange heightened sense, what he had gone through, what he had seen in Dumbledore's office. They knew that Snape was dead, they had seen it in Harry's memory, and they knew that he had been brave, and innocent of many things they thought him guilty of.

Lily, especially, felt this. She had been close to Snape in life, though the friendship had been severed. She understood now, at least some of what had happened. He was the reason Harry had been singled out, but he had since protected Harry, and helped him on his dangerous quest.

Her thoughts now turned to the son she had never met, but had watched from afar all his life. He was so close, becoming clearer now underneath the cloak that would not shield him from their eyes for much longer. He was becoming one of them. She longed to reach out and touch him, just hold some bit of him, comfort him in his moments of need, but she knew she could not. It was not time yet.

She was so proud of him, his strength and courage to calmly accept his fate, to walk acceptingly to his death. She would be able to hold him soon. They would have all eternity to spend together, uninterrupted, undisturbed. She could finally know the son she had borne.

They were headed towards the Forest now, they had stopped briefly while Harry had watched a pretty girl with red hair, Ginny Weasley, Lily knew. He cared for her, very much, James had squeezed Lily's hand proudly at this point and she had smiled. Harry also revealed himself to a boy, Neville Longbottom, Frank and Alice's son, and told him about the final Horcrux, so there would be someone else who knew. This boy was brave, he would see the task got done.

They were nearing the trees now, and Lily glanced up at James, Sirius and Remus. She knew what this meant to them, being back here together, back at Hogwarts and the Forest, the location of so many teenage adventures. They were all smiling, reminiscing. Lily smiled with them.

They were close now, so close to their task. Harry was completely visible to them now, only a blurred outline where they knew the Cloak's charm lingered. Lily watched, tears in her eyes as her son lifted the tiny Snitch in his hand and whispered to it.

_I am about to die._

She saw the Snitch crack open, revealing a cracked black stone, the pebble Death had plucked from the bank of a river. Harry took it in his hand and closed his eyes.

She looked at her companions, they were prickling with anticipation; their time had come.

As they watched, Harry clutched the stone tightly in his hands, and turned it over three times, thinking of the people his unconscious being had yearned for over the past few days. Feeling the pull, the call, they stepped forward to greet him.

* * *

**_Thanks for reading guys!_**


End file.
